Chasing Mistletoe
by thedevinemrsmochafairiemonster
Summary: Who knew that one little well placed sprig could create so much magic? Chaylor of course. Two shot.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Happy New Year darlings!! Is it too late to post up a little Christmas magic? I can't believe I started another story but this has been buzzing around in my head for a week and a half. I love this time of year and one of my favorite traditions over the years has been the tradition of the mistletoe. If I could I would walk around with a hat made of it...this got me to thinking about Chad and Taylor and what if they made up their own tradition for mistletoe. This is totally T and is a futurefic and I hope that you had the merriest of Christmases and a rockin' New Year. One more thing flashbacks are in italics.

* * *

Taylor hated shopping at the last minute. Between ballet classes with Lacy and gym and swim classes with Tyrone and little Charlie she barely had time to go to the bathroom let alone Christmas shop. Waiting until the last minute was so unlike her but with work, kids and a crazy dog the holiday just seemed to creep up on her. Honestly she was feeling a little frazzled. She hustled her bags and packages into the back of her truck. Thanking God that Chad had the day off so that she could get this last bit of shopping done. She hurried to the front of her vehicle and quickly got in and started it turning the heat on full blast. The dropping temperature along with dealing with last minute shoppers made her crave hot cocoa and a cozy fire snuggling on the couch with her family.

Singing along with the Christmas music playing on the radio she smiled to herself. If anyone had told her that her life would be this ten years ago she would have laughed so hard. No she was not president of the USA but she was queen to her very own little slice of heaven with Chad as her very own king. Yes, they had been on again off again since high school. However it was actually a Christmas about six years ago that made them stop dancing around each other. Who would have thought that it would involve something as small as a sprig of mistletoe.

* * *

_"Okay Gabriella we made an appearance. You can catch a ride with Troy but I'm about to leave. I can't believe that you talked me into coming over here." Taylor said as she crossed her arms. Here was the Danforths, at her ex boyfriend's childhood home. Specifically at their holiday party. She felt like a tag along with the Boltons and Gabriella. That wasn't really true since she got on well with both Charlie and Katrina Danforth. They had always made her feel welcome and when she and Chad were a couple she had felt more at home here than at her own house. _

_It was just awkward. She and Chad weren't exactly together but they hooked up on occasion here and there whenever they were both in town. When they had broken up the after the first semester of college Taylor had no intention of not completely breaking up with him. But she would get random texts from him sometimes, which would lead to emailing and IM's and the odd phone call. They actually ran into each other in town the next summer and the easy banter led to other activities in the back of her truck. It was never planned and it had been going on for a couple of years. They just couldn't seem to help them_selves.

_So, this is where she found herself. Feeling a bit uneasy. "Tay, you're being silly. All of them know that you are coming and are excited to see you. Including Chad." Gabriella said with a grin as she took Taylor's arm and led her further into the living areas. Taylor rolled her eyes at the continual optomist known as her best friend. Gabriella was the only one who knew the extent of what was going on between her and Chad. She hadn't told her sisters because they would never shut up about her wasting her time. Taylor wasn't interested in hearing anything they had to say. She was grown and could make her own decisions. Her thoughts were interrupted when she found herself engulfed in a hug by the hostess._

_"Taylor, its so good to see you again." Katrina said excitedly stepping back and taking in her son's ex-girlfriend. She had always liked Taylor. Ambitious with a good head on her shoulders. She had the tendency to be a bit of a know-it-all but what young person wasn't. "So gearing up for your last semester at Yale. Very exciting. What are your plans after graduation?"_

_"The editor at the newspaper I work for has passed some of my work on to various periodicals. I'm hoping to land at either a journal or magazine that covers politics." Taylor explained excitedly. _

_"Look who's talking about big plans again." Taylor turned around at the sound of Chad's voice. He looked at her with a smirk on his face and a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. Katrina looked at the two young people and immediately felt the sparks bounce off the two of them. She immediately made herself scarce._

_"What's so wrong about making plans?" Taylor replied with a smile of her own._

_"Nothing, but I like to be ready to expect the unexpected." he said as he made his way toward the kitchen for another drink. Taylor shook her head. He thought he was slick. She was not going to follow him. Gabriella who was watching from a corner decided to meddle. "Tay could you please get me a drink?"_

_"Do I look like Florence from the Jeffersons?" Taylor asked not wanting to go anywhere near the kitchen._

_"What are you talking about?" Gabriella looked at her confused._

_"You know George and Ousie, movin' on up, wise cracking maid? Oh never mind. What was it you wanted to drink?" Taylor said giving up._

_"Vodka and cranberry juice."_

_"Real festive. Be right back." Taylor sulked as she made her way toward the kitchen. _

_"I knew you couldn't resist me." Chad said as she came into the kitchen. Leaning up against the counter he really looked at her. She cut her hair and had on a green mini sweater dress with high heeled boots. Taylor drove him to distraction but he was always happy to see her. He had never dated anyone else who was just willing to listen but had no trouble giving you her honest opinion. She told him the truth in a way that challenged him, but always encouraged him to follow his heart._

_"Shush, I actually came in here to get Gabriella a drink." she said going over to the drinks station that was laid out for the party. Since she was playing the bartender she would make sure that sneaky Gabriella would get her drink's worth. _

_"Yeah, right. Listen Taylor lets stop dancing around each other for a moment and talk seriously." Chad said as he put down his drink and moved closer to her._

_"Seriously about what Chad?"_

_"About how amazing you look." he said from close behind startling her._

_"If you think that you're going to sweet talk your way into my pants..." Taylor started as she turned around to face him._

_"That's not sweet talk, its the truth. You look amazing and you are amazing. Taylor thank you." he said as he moved closer._

_"For what?" she asked feeling closed in._

_"For everything. Being a friend and confidante. Taking me seriously when you could have just been like whatever. I don't know of a whole lot of exes that would be so generous."_

_"You're welcome. We've always been more than exes Chad. Since cooking up that evil scheme back in junior year of high school you were one of my first real friends. You took the time to really get to know me and that made you all the more interesting." Now that she thought about it that's the one thing that kept drawing her back to him. Even if the circumstances of them remaining a couple weren't ideal she found him infinitely fascinating on all levels. There was also the fact that she felt safe and endangered around him at the same time._

_"Hey, can I ask you something?" Chad asked slowly._

_"Sure."_

_"What do you think of mistletoe?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Well we happen to be standing right under some right now." He said with a small grin pointing up to the bright sprig. Taylor looked up and rolled her eyes. "Nuh-uh. No. Who does that anyway? I've never seen it placed on a ceiling fan in the middle of a kitchen."_

_"Oh come on. Its just one little kiss." Chad said taking her hands. "I think if you don't kiss you have seven years bad dates." She rolled her eyes at him. Yeah just what she needed more bad dates. Shit, if kissing him would end her ridiculous run of dating hell it was worth the risk. _

_"Show me what ya got Danforth." She cupped Chad's face in her hands and brought her mouth up to meet his lips in a sweet and tender kiss. Mmmh, it was nice. She let herself linger there. He increased the pressure when she thought he would pull away and she reciprocated. Chad let his hands go to her waist and Taylor let her hands tangle in his curls as they added tongues into the mix. Okay so now they were making out while standing up. That is how Troy and Charlie Danforth found them. They were in their own little bubble under the Danforth's cleverly placed_ _mistletoe in the most heated kiss that Troy had ever seen them in. While they stood there in shock Gabriella came in calling Taylor's name._

_She and Chad jumped apart quickly. Gabriella was grinning like a cat that ate the canary. "I just came to see if my drink was ready." she said all to innocently. Finding her drink she thanked Taylor and pulled Troy out of the kitchen with her. Charlie Danforth awkwardly looked back and forth between his son and Taylor before leaving the kitchen smiling when he noticed the tiny sprig his lovely wife had hung just above them._

* * *

Taylor still got butterflies thinking about that kiss and about how Chad hadn't left her side the entire night. There was something different in the way he kissed her. The vibe between them changed after that too. No longer were they reluctant lovers who only met when their ships passed in the night. They spent almost everyday of that particular break together but not just to hook up. Chad and Taylor talked a lot about everything. Chad would start at the Police Academy after the new year and Taylor was hoping to stay on the east coast somewhere around Washington D.C. Even a discussion of the prospect of actually getting back together came up. But it seemed like their lives were headed in two different directions so they just decided to leave things as they were. There were texts and calls mostly over the next several months.

Then fate stepped in by the name of Taylor's mother, Tracy McKessie. Or namely Tracy Mckessie's stroke. Tracy was found unresponsive in the restroom of her office a month before Thanksgiving. Taylor found herself moving back to Albuquerque to help her mother through a long rehabilitation process. Despite their differences seeing her mother struggle to learn how to speak, read and write again was difficult. In light of her mom's illness Taylor decided to change her career focus to nursing. Her sisters were supportive and for the first time in a long time so was Tracy. In the midst of all the chaotic changes the one constant in her life there to support her was Chad.

Stuck in downtown Christmas Eve traffic Taylor let the memories from that time race through her mind.

* * *

_Taylor was dropping off her paperwork at the local junior college when a familiar ringtone sang from her purse. "Hello." she smiled as she answered the phone._

_"Hey, you. What are you doing Saturday evening?" Chad said quickly._

_"My sisters are in town so I was going to run some errands for mama and then finish up my Christmas shopping." Taylor said as she got into her parked truck and started the engine. "Why what do you need?"_

_"A date to the First Responders Charity Christmas Ball. Will you be mine? I know that you've been the main caregiver for your mom since she got sick, and I know that you could use a break." Chad explained._

_"I'm surprised you don't already have one. A date I mean."_

_"Well I was originally going to be the sober driver but one of the other deputies got in trouble with the lieutenant and now he's sober driver as punishment. Its formal and there's dinner and dancing..." he added persuasively. "Come on. I promise to have you back by curfew and you know I'm always a good time."_

_"Sure. It sounds like fun." Taylor said laughing and feeling all tingly. _

_"Great I'll pick you up at 5:30. Its black tie so wear your fanciest dress."_

_"See you then." Taylor said hanging up. _

_She'd only seen him a couple of times since she'd moved back to town. Chad had called and text for updates about how her mom was doing when he found out what happened. Taylor had been dealing with doctors and health insurance people on her own. Torrence was eight months pregnant and couldn't travel from Chicago and Tamera was stationed overseas with the Air Force. This left Taylor dealing with her mom on her own. In the best of circumstances Tracy McKessie was a piece of work. Throw in the debilitating effects of a mild stroke and Taylor felt like she was trying to manage a small child. It was all she could do to hold on to her sanity. As a matter of fact the first time she had seen Chad since last Christmas she was trying to keep her mom from having a meltdown in the middle of Whole Foods. Right by the frozen pies her mom in tears and Taylor on the edge Chad, in full uniform, came over and calmed both of them down. Taylor had never been so happy to see the police. Her motto from that day until now was live in the moment. To think to far into the future was too overwhelming. _

_Living in the moment found Taylor out on a real date with Chad in the sexiest dress she could find and nervous as hell. It wasn't the Chad part or wearing the sexy dress that made her nervous. It was the date part. Her bad date karma was haunting her and she felt like she was going to throw up right now. She hadn't been on a date worth writing home about since 2008. Taylor took a deep breath as she reached out for Chad's hand._

_"You've been awfully quiet tonight. If you're worried about your mom I think she'll be okay for a few hours. Your sisters are there to help and they have our numbers."_

_Chad said squeezing her hand._

_"Believe it or not I'm nervous about this date." Taylor said giving him a side eye. Chad burst out laughing. Taylor pulled her hand away and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't mean to laugh its just we've sort of done this before for almost two years." Chad said trying to calm the laughter out of his voice._

_"Yes but not in the last four and a half years. When it comes to dating I think I have picked up some bad mojo or something."_

_"I'm sure you're exaggerating." Chad scoffed in disbelief._

_"Tell that to the dude that bought weed from his dealer right at the dinner table. Or how about the guy who ran over a stray cat on purpose." Taylor exclaimed. She could see Chad trying to hold in his laughter. "Its not funny." she said smacking him on the arm. _

_"Two bad dates does not equal bad mojo or whatever." Chad said with a snicker._

_"That was just two of about a hundred, over the last few years or so."_

_"Whoa! A hundred?"_

_"Give or take." she said shrugging her shoulders._

_"I can't believe you counted."_

_"It seemed to be a bit of a trend. You know me. I had to analyze it. Anyway, it felt like the universe was giving me a message and I haven't dated much since that long loser streak." Taylor said fiddling with the hem of her overcoat watching the scenery pass by as they drove. Chad reached out and took her hand again. "If the universe was saying anything it was that those guys were a waste of your time. Just take a deep breath and relax. We're here now and I didn't kill any cats on the way so lets go have some fun." _

_Taylor laughed as Chad helped her out of the car. They quickly made their way through the cold night air into the El Dorado Hotel where the ball was being held. They had checked their coats when Chad pulled her aside to a quiet seating area outside the ballroom. "Oh, I almost forgot. I got this for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a corsage made of mistletoe. She smiled at him remembering the last time they were around mistletoe. "You're putting in a bid for your Christmas kiss already?" Taylor asked as she let him put the prettily arranged sprigs on her wrist._

_"Well, considering the hot kiss you planted on me last year I figured that I should be first in line." he said taking her hands pulling her closer._

_"There is no line." she scoffed_

_"Damn straight! Just the presence of a real man scared them off. Should I prove now or later that you don't have bad date mojo?"_

_"Hmm...If its gonna be bad I'd want to know sooner rather than later." Taylor said as she brought her hands to the nape of his neck_ _looking up into his beautiful brown eyes before he leaned and placed the sweetest kiss on her lips. Closing her eyes Taylor felt herself melting into the hard frame of his body. Surrendering to the desire of Chad's kiss she pulled him closer and started lightly sucking on his bottom lip. Chad let his tongue slide across hers in response moving his hand up to tangle in her hair and letting the thumb of his other hand rub her lower back exposed by her dress. _

_"Deputy Danforth, is that you?" came a voice from behind Taylor. Chad let out a low groan and held Taylor in front of him as she turned around to greet the person behind the untimely interruption. "Lieutenant Dangle, good evening. You haven't had a chance to meet my beautiful date Taylor McKessie." Lt. Dangle seemed to be in shock for a second before recovering. "Great to finally meet you. Chad talks about you a lot..."_

_"Well Lt. good to see you. We'll catch up to you in there." Chad interrupted starting to hustle Taylor towards the entrance of the ballroom._

_"Nice to meet you too Lt. Dangle." Taylor said hurriedly as they moved forward with the throng of people into the ballroom. "Chad what was that all about? That was actually kind of rude."_

_"I have respect for my commanding officers, usually. That guy gives me the creeps. I didn't like the way he was looking at you." he continued wrapping a protective arm around her waist. "I only want to look at you that way." he muttered._

_She smiled to herself "And how was he looking at me?"_

_"Like he wanted to take you out on a bad date." he said with another snicker._

_"Real funny. Go on laugh at my past pain. Its just nice to be noticed." she said taking her seat and crossing her legs sexily. "As long as you're the one doing the touching." _

_"You're such a flirt." Chad said as he kissed the hand with the corsage._

* * *

A/N: I really tried to make this a oneshot, but the ideas kept coming. The second part will be from Chad's POV Tell me what you think:D


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: No mistletoe was harmed during the writing of this story, and I don't own HSM or its characters. Thank you Disney for allowing us to play with them them:)**_

Chad carefully put the bow on the box and put the box on Taylor's half of the desk in their den. He rubbed his hands together and smiled to himself. He had always loved Christmas because of the big surprises he would find under the tree. But another reason to celebrate inadvertently started with his mother's strange placement of mistletoe and he had carried on her tradition in his own way. It was never in an obvious place like a doorway or entrance but in various other places throughout his childhood home. Yesterday when he took the kids for a visit he saw it placed over the big screen TV his dad often watched games on and it looked like half the berries were already gone.

Ugh, now was not the time to think of his parents love life. Chad was hoping that his placement of the magical little sprigs this year would lead to as playful a time as when he and Taylor first got married.

* * *

_"Finally." Chad muttered to himself as he packed his shaving kit into the carry on bag he and Taylor would be taking for their trip. He was excited to finally be going on his honeymoon with his beautiful new wife. It had to be postponed because Taylor had clinical tests and finals the following two weeks after their wedding. Having the ceremony over Thanksgiving weekend was kind of crazy. Taylor refused to have a party in the middle of her testing period of her first semester in nursing school. Thankfully the hellish test period ended today. In five hours he and Taylor would be cruising the Pacific on their way to the Mexican Riviera. Fourteen days of fun, sun and Taylor in a bikini. This was going to be the best Christmas ever! _

_Taylor walked into their town house to find her new husband grinning stupidly into space. Chad looked like a little kid on Christmas morning and she couldn't help but grin herself. She finished her last clinical practical forty-five minutes ago and was so glad it was done she wanted to do back flips. Instead she walked over to Chad and passionately kissed him out of his daze. "I'm home sweet husband. Penny for your thoughts."_

_"If I showed you what I was thinking about we'd miss our flight." Chad said pulling her close and kissing her temple letting his hands really tell her what was on his mind._

_Taylor let out a groan "I know you're right, but are you sure we can't sneak in a quickie?" she asked hopefully._

_"Nothing would make me more happy than to follow-up on that suggestion but we should really be walking out the door right now." Chad said looking at his watch and going to the closet for his own coat. "However, if you still feel like jumping me once we're up in the air you can cross off joining the mile high club on your 'Things to do before I'm thirty list'."_

_That earned him a smack on the arm but all she did was give him a smile and grab her rolling suitcase. There was something to be said for her husband's imagination and her penchant for keeping old lists. Chad grabbed his own duffle and carry on and followed her out the door with a smile of his own. That sly little smile always meant good things._

_  
Several hours later..._

_"Here's our stateroom." Taylor said as she put her room key into the electronic reader. As she opened the door she felt herself being swept off her feet. Chad carried her over the threshold laughing as Taylor giggled. "You're really getting into the honeymoon spirit aren't you?"_

_"Well its all your fault, newest and loudest member of the mile high club." Chad said laughing putting her back on her feet._

_"Who knew that orgasms felt so good at high altitude or that you were so masterful in small spaces." she said keeping her arms around his neck._

_"Something about your body inspires me." he said letting his hands roam wherever. "I think we pissed off the flight attendant." _

_"Psshh. She's just mad cause she wanted to be doing what we were doing." she said with a grin and a peck on his lips. Taylor went out to the balcony and pulled him with her. They were leaving out of San Diego and the warm breeze blowing their hair was the complete opposite of the New Mexico cold they were in just a few hours earlier. "It feels good to finally be here." She said as she put her head on his shoulder. "Remind me to thank your mom and dad for looking after mama while we're away."_

_"Hey, its what families that really love each other do Tay. I really love your mom. She's the reason that I have you. I will be forever grateful for the gift of you."_

_"I love you Chad." was all she could say feeling so overwhelmed. How had God blessed her to be married to such a beautiful man._

_"And I love you." Chad said as he turned her to face him. He moved her curled hair behind her ear and stroked the side of her face with his thumb. "No matter what life may throw at us you should keep that as close to your heart as possible." he said rubbing his nose against hers.  
_

_"So now that we've gotten the sappy moment of the day out of the way its time for some fun." Chad said smiling going to grab their bags from the doorway and proceeded to start unpacking. Taylor followed suit and put her bag on the bed to start unpacking and stopped dead when she opened it. She started chuckling as she pulled her clothes out. Chad was watching her from the closet where he was hanging up his shirts with a grin. "Mr. Danforth would you like to explain why there's a sprig of mistletoe pinned to every piece of clothing that I packed." This explained his silly grin earlier that day. _

_"Well Mrs. Danforth, I figured you, me and mistletoe always equaled magic. This is my version of my mom's tradition of hanging the stuff in weird places. Do you know of the tradition of the mistletoe?" Taylor shook her head. "Well. the correct mistletoe etiquette is for the man to remove one berry when he kisses a woman. When all the berries are gone, there's no more kissing permitted underneath that plant. One legend states that a couple who kisses underneath mistletoe will have good luck, but a couple neglecting to perform the ritual will have bad luck. Specifically, it is believed that a couple kissing under the mistletoe ensure themselves of marriage and a long, happy life, while an unmarried woman not kissed under the mistletoe will remain single for another year. You don't have to worry about that cause we took care of that last year. However you seem to think that some bad mojo has been following you around. I figure I've gathered enough mistletoe to take us through the new year."_

_Taylor couldn't help herself from laughing. Since last year's kiss had led to them not only to getting back together but engaged she couldn't refute the following of tradition. "So how is this supposed to work?"_

_"Everyday you take the sprig off your dress or blouse and pin it to your hat or visor. Then I get to kiss you until all the berries are gone. We get to start today. Check your coat pocket." Chad instructed._

_Taylor went and searched the pockets of the coat that she carried on to the boat and pulled out a tiny sprig. "You've really thought of this haven't you?"_

_"Like I told you earlier, you inspire me. Besides being loving, smart and beautiful you're an amazing kisser. I can't think of anything I want more for Christmas than an excuse to make out with my wife."_

_"Soo, what are you waiting for?" Taylor asked waving the tiny branch at him while backing up to the bed. "These berries won't get rid of themselves."_

_Taylor let out a squeal as Chad quickly moved and caught her about the waist. All laughing died away as he gave her soft kisses all over her face and down her neck and slowly made his way toward the ticklish spot behind her ear. Taylor gasped as he tenderly nuzzled the spot before Chad finally let his lips find their home on to hers. With no need to rush they took their time in this first of many Christmas kisses._

* * *

That trip had been so much fun. Chad didn't have any idea before then that Taylor enjoyed a good game of sexy dress up. He loved when he discovered something new about her. Like back in high school when he found out what a great dancer she was during the summer at Lava Springs. Six years of marriage and three babies later and he was even more fascinated with Taylor. She was an amazing wife and a phenomenal mother. How she managed being a charge nurse on top of that still held him in wonder. He finished wrapping all of his gifts and was hiding them away when he heard his 5 year old daughter calling out for him.

"Daddy, where's mommy?" Lacy came into the den in her pajamas holding MingMing the Wonder-pet under one arm.

"She went out to take care of a few things." Chad said to the other love of his life. "What do you need Lala?" he asked picking her up and sitting down in his barker lounger.

"I want a Christmas story." Lacy said snuggling comfortably into her dad's lap.

"The one about baby Jesus?" he asked.

"No the one about you and mommy." she said flashing him that adorable smile.

"Who said there was a Christmas story about mommy and me?"

"Gramma and Pops." Chad couldn't help but laugh out loud. His mom loved to take credit for getting Taylor and him back together with an assist from Gabriella.

"When did they tell you this story?" he asked ruffling her soft dark curls so much like his own.

"At their house." she said toying with MingMing's fur. "Tell me daddy. Please?"

"Ok,okay. I'll tell you about the Christmas after you were born." Chad said reclining the lounger and readjusting Lacy on his lap to snuggle closer. As he told his baby girl the edited version of that time he let his thoughts run free.

* * *

_Chad slept like a rock. No, more like someone had hit him over the head. Until recently he slept like a newborn baby cuddling against her mother's bosom. Baby. Baby crying. He sat up like someone rising from the dead. Chad took a look at the clock. 2:41 am. Not even a full 2 hours since her last feed and she was up again. _

_"Tay, baby's crying." he said shaking her shoulder. Tay mumbled something unintelligible and pulled the six week old from her co-sleeper bassinet and put her in position to nurse. When all he heard was suckling and gulps he got up to go get Taylor a glass of water. _

_He wished she would let him help more with the feeds. But all the talk of nipple confusion and engorgement sort of freaked him out so he just let Taylor have her way. Making sure to get ice for the glass he took that and a bottle of water back into their bedroom and set it down on the night stand. Chad sat down facing her on the bed. Taylor was sitting up now trying to burp their daughter before switching her to the other breast. Looking at her feeding their baby was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. It was also very erotic. Without even thinking about it he felt himself grow hard as he reached out to touch the upper swell of her unoccupied breast and started to stroke it softly._

_"Chad?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"You know what happens when you do that right?"_

_He smiled a happy smile. "Mmmh, yea. Screaming orgasm."_

_"Well, after six weeks of abstaining that sounds delicious but I don't have my check-up until the morning." Taylor said with a note of frustration in her own voice._

_"Sorry." Chad said pulling his hand away. "You guys just look so beautiful. I was actually dreaming about this moment." he said softly reaching out a hand to touch the head of his curly headed daughter._

_Taylor let out a sigh. She was letting the lack of sleep get to her. She didn't mean to snap at him. "Thank you for getting up with me and for the water." _

_"Thank you for our beautiful daughter." He said reaching up to stroke Taylor's cheek. When Chad saw that the baby had gone back to sleep, he took her from Taylor and settled her back into the bassinet. He still couldn't believe that she was finally here. Chad Danforth was somebody's father. _

_When Taylor found out that she was pregnant a month after they had come back from their honeymoon they were both nervously excited. Taylor was nervous. Chad was excited. A little piece of him and Taylor growing inside of her. Taylor lamented about the new changes of her pregnant body, but Chad couldn't get over how gorgeous she looked. He didn't even think that was possible. The rounder her belly got the more he wanted her. Even when Lacy was two weeks overdue and all Taylor could do was shuffle from here to there, she still had that glow._

_"Chad honey come back to bed. You have to report to your shift in a few hours." Taylor said sleepily. Chad went back over to the bed and crawled in beside her. Nuzzling her neck through her hair and pulling her close they spooned together. Taylor snuggled in closer when she felt Chad' s hard on pressing against her backside. "Hold that thought sweet husband. The wait is almost over." _

_Later on that day..._

_"Honey, baby girl, I'm home." Chad announced as he came through the door later the same day. He tried to hurry up and stash the bags from the toy store in the extra hall closet. Chad thought that he loved Christmas before, but nothing prepared him for the excitement of shopping for his own kid. There was no need to rush since there was no response coming from any other part of the house. Taylor's truck was in the driveway so they had to be home. Chad moved towards the master bedroom and came to a dead stop. Taylor was draped across their bed wearing his favorite purple baby doll nightie, asleep. Chad couldn't help but laugh to himself. He caught eye of the sprig of mistletoe attached to his side of the head board and smiled. Taylor had beat him to the punch this year. He went to look in the bassinet and saw that Lacy wasn't there. _

_"Tay?" Chad called her name in a half panic._

_"Chad." Taylor moaned in response which made Chad grit his teeth in frustration. There would be time for that once he found out where his child was._

_"Tay the baby's gone." He said shaking her._

_"What?" She said sitting straight up before jumping off the bed and running down the hall to the nursery. Chad followed her confused until he saw her standing over Lacy's crib pulling a blanket over their sleeping daughter. Taylor looked back at him and rolled her eyes before shooing him out the room. Once they were in the hallway she smacked his arm._

_"You nearly gave me a heart attack Chad!" she half whispered walking back down the hallway to their room. "I got an A+ plus at my six week checkup today. Your little girl finally decided to cooperate with mommy after I nursed her. So I figured I would surprise you and put her down for her nap in her own room. We could have our room back, at least for a couple of hours. Aww man I fell asleep!" Taylor rambled as she paced in their room._

_"Tay?"_

_"Yes?" she answered pausing mid pace._

_"I love you. Now take a deep breath. I'm sorry I scared you. You know I didn't mean to." Chad said taking her by the shoulders and pulling her into a hug. Taylor let her arms go around his waist hugging him back. "Love you too." she mumbled into his shoulder. Chad's eyes drifted back over to their bed and that magical sprig._

_"You got me mistletoe?" he asked softly._

_"Mmh yeah. It hadn't made an appearance yet and Christmas is three weeks away." she said letting her hands drift up his back and settle around his neck._

_"It hadn't made an appearance cause your doctor hadn't given you clearance yet. You and I cannot stop at one chaste kiss when mistletoe is involved. Things have been hard enough around here without that kind of temptation hanging over my head." Chad replied with a small laugh. "The branch is kind of tiny this year though isn't it?"_

_"Well that's not the only one hanging around. There's more in other places." Taylor said with a sly smile._

_"Really? Where? How many?" Chad asked excitedly looking around. _

_"I'll only tell you there are twelve. You'll find out where if you look closely enough and if I unexpectedly jump you from out of nowhere." she said with a huge grin._

_"Wow little wife. You've managed to surprise me again. How'd you have time to arrange all of this anyway?" He asked knowing she was just as sleep deprived as he was._

_"Your mom brought some over when I mentioned that we didn't have any. Everything else came together over six weeks of watching you take care of me and Lacy without complaint. I consider a helpful husband doing the small things foreplay. Watching you empty and take out the diaper pail makes me kinda hot." she explained leading him over to sit on the bed. She rearranged the pillows so that they could sit back against the headboard._

_"Really?" Chad asked looking at her dubiously._

_"Oh yeah. Torrence kept warning me to get ready to do all the work. She said her husband Kevin barely changed a diaper and was completely against her breast feeding. You weren't like that at all. You jumped right in helping with diapers and encouraging me when Lacy had a hard time latching on. Even letting me get in a nap while you looked after a very awake baby. __**You**__ surprised me. That is so sexy to me."_

_Chad looked at his wife amazed. It was great to know that he wasn't the only one getting turned on over the last month and a half watching her be a great mom. "I love you both and being able to take care of you is an honor." he said kissing the side of her head._

_"Well, its now time for your handsome reward Mr. Danforth." She said as she straddled his lap. "We have to make up for six weeks."_

_"When you put it that way..." Taylor cut him off pressing her lips to his burying her hands in those glorious curls. Chad let his own hands wander as he pulled her in closer. What could be a better early Christmas gift than a sleeping baby and a creatively horny wife. Nothing, Chad thought._

* * *

Speaking of sleeping babies Lacy had fallen asleep on him during the story. She hadn't slept through the night for another four months but her mom and dad had fun finding all the mistletoe during her naps that Christmas.

Meanwhile Taylor let out a huge sigh as she pulled her truck into the driveway. Be it ever so humble. It felt so good to finally be home. She got out of her truck but left her bags and packages in the car just in case her babies were still up. There wasn't a sound coming from anywhere as she let herself into the house. Taylor wandered over to the boys' room and went in to kiss them when she saw they were asleep. Seeing a light on in the den she moved toward there shedding her coat, hat and gloves on the hall bench before going in.

There sleeping in the Chad's barker lounger laid her heart and soul. Chad and Lacy were comfortably curled up in the recliner. It looked like everyone was asleep. She was about to go put her coat back on and gather her packages from the car when Chad called out to her.

"Hey gorgeous. Where you going?" Chad asked just loud enough for her to hear without waking Lacy.

"Back to the car for my bags and things. I thought you were sleep." Taylor said going over to the recliner.

"Not sleep just thinking about you, mistletoe and the Christmas after Lacy was born." he said grinning at her. "My old lady keeps it hot."

"Hey, if you want me to keep it hot you better watch who you calling old." she said picking her daughter and MingMing up from her Chad's lap. As she was leaving to take Lacy to her room Chad called out again.

"I'd like to see you in here when you're all done." he said keeping his voice neutral.

Taylor smiled to herself. If he was thinking about the Christmas after Lacy's birth Chad definitely had something up his sleeve. She went and tucked her baby girl in for the night and then went to retrieve all her things from the truck. After she stashed away her purchases she kicked off her shoes, took the headband out of her hair and walked back into the den. Taylor took a look around before going over to Chad's chair.

"Would that large branch of mistletoe over the recliner and rather large box on my desk be the reason you wanted to see me?"

"Your powers of observation are strong tonight. Which one do you want to know about first?" he asked reaching for and stroking her hand.

"The large branch is obvious. I'm not sure how we're going to finish it all by new years with three kids, but I'm up to the challenge." she said now looking over at the box.

"You forget that there's a lock on the door and the recliner goes all the way back." he said with a smirk "Go on and get your gift." Chad said as he nudged her toward the desk. Taylor went and grabbed the box and went back to the recliner to snuggle in next to Chad before opening it. Nestled in the tissue paper of the box was lingerie. Not just any old lingerie. Custom made lingerie and from the lookof the embroidered lace very expensive. However, that wasn't even the novel part. The novelty was the tiny embroidered mistletoe sewn on to the collection of bras and panties. It was gorgeous but had her twisting the logic behind the gift.

"Did you give me this to tell me you don't get enough action during the year?" she asked giving him a side eye.

"No. Are you kidding me? When other husbands talk about their wives not being intimate I thank my lucky mistletoe that isn't a problem in our case. I got these for you cause I like it when you walk around me half naked." Taylor nudged him but smiled. "Seriously, I had these made for you in celebration of the little sprig that brought us back together. You were made for me Taylor and I was made for you. Life wouldn't be nearly as sweet if you weren't my wife. Some of the better memories I have of us together happen to involve a poisonous, parasitic plant." Chad said with a smile.

Taylor looked at him thoughtfully draping her thighs over his lap. "This isn't how I pictured my life at this age but nobody could be more happily surprised than me. You're the love of my life Chad and part of me thinks that we were always meant to be. You've fulfilled a dream in me I didn't even realize I had, a family of my own full of joy and love. I love you for that Chad." she said running her hands through his curls.

"I love you too Tay." was all Chad could get out before Taylor brought his mouth down to hers.

A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this fluffy piece of holiday magic. I personally enjoyed writing it. I'd love to know what you think. Hate, love, meh...let me know:)


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